StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
It's true -- StarCraft 2 is great. It's just about everything you could hope for in a sequel. That being said, if you disliked StarCraft, this one isn't going to change your mind. Also, you're going to hell. But that's your business.
If there's one thing that Blizzard hasn't over-delivered on, it's the story. The single-player campaign is architected in a non-linear fashion, and has a pretty impressive cast of characters; but none of them are interesting for more than a few minutes. All the male characters are real men's men, making decisions and taking action without a second thought -- they show strong personalities, but no dynamism or conflict. And the one (human) female character is just another damsel in distress. Wings of Liberty has an intriguing plot - which promises to become more intriguing in the Zerg- and Protoss-oriented sequels - but the people involved in it are largely inconsequential.
That aside, the gameplay of the campaign is a real treat. You'll play 25 missions, plus one more if you unlock the "secret" mission, and three of those are based on storyline choices, so subsequent playthroughs can be a little different. (I wish, though, that after finishing the campaign, I could just play the other three missions without going through the whole campaign again.) Although they almost all involve base-building, each mission has a unique gimmick, often revolving around a new unit -- not unlike Zelda dungeons. One early mission puts you on a planet with a twelve-minute day/night cycle, tasking you with burning down infested terran structures during the day, then defending yourself against hordes of shambling zombie-terrans during the night. Another has you use your shiny new Wraiths to provide air support for a powerful but slow-moving war machine.
Completing missions earns you credits, which you can use inbetween missions to upgrade your forces in various ways. You can buy/unlock groups of Mercenaries, which are hero units you can then call on during a mission. You can also buy new and upgraded abilities for your units, like a permanent Ghost cloak, or reduced friendly-fire damage from a Siege Tank's siege blasts. Most missions also allow you to collect items or perform secondary objectives to earn Protoss and Zerg "research" points, which can be used for even cooler upgrades (like an auto-turret for bunkers, and the Science Vessel unit). The available variety, and the ways in which each upgrade can fundamentally change how the campaign is played, are pretty amazing.
In addition to the campaign, there's also a small collection of single-player "Challenges" that serve as training exercises for multiplayer matches. They'll put forth goals like countering specific units and tactics, and give you tips on how to pull it off, but still require plenty of practice and quick-thinking to do well.
As for the multiplayer, well -- it's StarCraft, but 2. Basic strategy and game flow will be instantly familiar, but there are enough twists and additions to make it feel like ten years' worth of fresh. Nukes are much easier to mass-produce. The Protoss Void Ray can make a skirmish more dangerous as it continues. Zerg Roaches are kind of bullshit. It's a whole new game to learn, with easily accessible base mechanics, but an incredible strategic depth, that seems designed to satisfy all skill levels. And the matchmaking promises to keep players from becoming too frustrated or too complacent, although I personally haven't had a lot of experience with random match-ups either way.
In conclusion: this is a sequel to StarCraft, and it's great.
Better than: StarCraft
Not as good as: if the whole StarCraft II "trilogy" was already available
The Lost Viking mini-game: is, yeah, pretty awesome
Progress: Finished the campaign on Normal